Marguerite Henry; Wrote ‘Misty of Chincoteague’

Marguerite Henry, 95, who wrote 59 youth books about horses. The author’s best-known book was “Misty of Chincoteague,” published in 1947 about a brother and sister who dream of owning a wild pony. The story centered on Pony Penning Day, a July tradition off the coast of Virginia, in which wild horses from the island of Assateague swim to the island of Chincoteague. Volunteers called “saltwater cowboys” round up the ponies and drive them into the channel. Healthy foals are auctioned. Misty, the real model for the pony in the novel, died in 1972 and is memorialized by a life-size bronze statue on the island. Henry won the coveted Newbery Award for “King of the Wind” and Newbery Honor Awards for “Misty of Chincoteague,” “Justin Morgan Had a Horse,” “Brighty of the Grand Canyon,” “Black Gold” and “Born to Trot.” Born in Milwaukee, Wis., she was encouraged to write by her publisher father. She sold her first story to a women’s magazine when she was 11 years old. On Wednesday in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., after a series of strokes.